Staff Pick

While the rest of the world seems disappointed in Dan Brown's newest Robert Langdon book, I enjoyed it immensely. Yes, it follows a similar pattern as the previous books and, yes, Langdon again is called upon to save the world from some menacing threat that only he can uncover, but I didn't go into it expecting Brown to surpass The DaVinci Code — that just might not be possible. However, The Lost Symbol is a fun read, full of the usual codes and symbols that only Langdon can decipher, that takes us on a fascinating journey into the secrets of the Freemasons. Full of twists and turns, it's worth the read.Recommended by Lynn, Powells.com

Review-A-Day

"World-renowned symbologist and all-around cool guy Robert Langdon is summoned to an Imposing Architectural Landmark, where something Really Yucky has been left in a way only he can recognize. You know, as a clue. Langdon snaps into action, and it isn't long before he's uncovered more clues that lead to a Secret Society full of Famous Dead Guys. There's a Super-Duper Secret, and the fate of the universe is at stake, but thank goodness Langdon has help from a Foxy Brainiac, which he needs because he's up against a Major Freak. Langdon and the Foxy Brainiac race through more Imposing Architectural Landmarks, pausing only to lecture each other about symbols and whatnot, and try to win a Race Against Time against the Major Freak." Jeff Baker, The Oregonian (read the entire Oregonian review)

Synopses & Reviews

From Powells.com:

Congratulations to the winners of our Lost Symbol signed first edition sweepstakes! (Want to see a list of who won? Check out our blog.)

Publisher Comments:

Dan Brown's new novel, the eagerly awaited follow-up to his #1 international phenomenon, The Da Vinci Code, which was the bestselling hardcover adult novel of all time with 81 million copies in print worldwide, will be published in the U.S. and Canada by Doubleday on September 15, 2009.

The Lost Symbol will have a first printing of 5 million copies, and it will once again feature Dan Brown's unforgettable protagonist, Robert Langdon. Brown's longtime editor, Jason Kaufman, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday said, "Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. This book's narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period, and from the first page, Dan's readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises."

Dan Brown's popularity continues to grow. The film of The Da Vinci Code was a #1 box office smash when it was released by Columbia Pictures in May 2006 with Ron Howard directing and Tom Hanks starring as Robert Langdon. Box office receipts were $758 million. The same team will release Angels and Demons theatrically worldwide on May 15, 2009.

Review:

"After scores of Da Vinci Code knockoffs, spinoffs, copies and caricatures, Brown has had the stroke of brilliance to set his breakneck new thriller not in some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard. Everyone off the bus, and welcome to a Washington, D.C., they never told you about on your school trip when you were a kid, a place steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. Returning hero Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture at the behest of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for his lecture, he finds, instead of an audience, Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. Langdon teases out a plethora of clues from the tattooed hand that point toward a secret portal through which an intrepid seeker will find the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. A villain known as Mal'akh, a steroid-swollen, fantastically tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Mal'akh has captured Peter and promises to kill him if Langdon doesn't agree to help find the portal. Joining Langdon in his search is Peter's younger sister, Kathleen, who has been conducting experiments in a secret museum. This is just the kickoff for a deadly chase that careens back and forth, across, above and below the nation's capital, darting from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical esoterica. Jealous thriller writers will despair, doubters and nay-sayers will be proved wrong, and readers will rejoice: Dan Brown has done it again." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[Dan Brown is] bringing sexy back to a genre that had been left for dead....In the end it is Mr. Brown's sweet optimism, even more than Langdon's sleuthing and explicating, that may amaze his readers most." Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Review:

"Brown's narrative moves rapidly, except for those clunky moments when people sound like encyclopedias....The Lost Symbol is more like the experience on any roller coaster — thrilling, entertaining and then it's over." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"As a thriller, The Lost Symbol is exciting, although readers of The Da Vinci Code will notice that some of the same stock characters and creaky plot devices pop up." The Wall Street Journal

Synopsis:

The story of a secret agent who weaves plots, conspiracies, intrigues and attacks, and helps determine the historical and political fate of the Continent.

Synopsis:

Synopsis:

An ingenious, fast-paced historical thriller from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Last Templar

On a cold, bleak day in 1916, all hell breaks loose in a mining pit in the Ural Mountains. Overcome by a strange paranoia, the miners attack one another, savagely and ferociously. Minutes later, two men—a horrified scientist and Grigory Rasputin, trusted confidant of the tsar—hit a detonator, blowing up the mine to conceal all evidence of the carnage.

In the present day, FBI agent Sean Reillys search for Reed Corrigan, the CIA mindcontrol spook who brainwashed Reillys son, takes a backseat to a new, disturbing case. A Russian embassy attach&eacute; seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a fourth-floor window in Queens. The apartments owners, a retired physics teacher from Russia and his wife, have gone missing, and further investigation reveals that the former may not be who the FBI believe him to be.

Joined by Russian Federal Security Service agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva, Reillys investigation of the old mans identity will uncover a desperate search for a small, mysterious device, with consequences that reach back in time and which, in the wrong hands, could have a devastating impact on the modern world.

Packed with the twists, intrigue, and excitement that Khourys many fans have come to expect, Rasputins Shadow will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

Video

About the Author

Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling novels of all time. Named one of the World's 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine, he has appeared in the pages of Newsweek, Forbes, People, GQ, The New Yorker, and others. His novels are published in 51 languages around the world.

dmard, November 20, 2011 (view all comments by dmard)
Dan Brown does what few other can. He writes books of the highest caliber every time. In the The Lost Symbol, he has collected amazing details about the Masonic legends and woven them into a fascinating tale that contains as much fact as it does fiction. If you enjoyed any of his other books, you will love The Lost Symbol too. Those who had issues with the religious implications of The DaVinci Code may find that this book changes their minds about Dan Brown's work. It is not blasphemous, it's just some of the best fiction ever written.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)

Jason Weekly, May 27, 2010 (view all comments by Jason Weekly)
Dan brown has done it again!! he leads to pact when it comes to drawing your intrest in a book. hi writing style is something truley gifted. i would recommend everyone read this book. it was insightful and thrilling to knwo the information it holds about the free masons and mosonic. if you have a love for the history of our fourfathers as in modern times this book will appeal to you.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)

While the rest of the world seems disappointed in Dan Brown's newest Robert Langdon book, I enjoyed it immensely. Yes, it follows a similar pattern as the previous books and, yes, Langdon again is called upon to save the world from some menacing threat that only he can uncover, but I didn't go into it expecting Brown to surpass The DaVinci Code — that just might not be possible. However, The Lost Symbol is a fun read, full of the usual codes and symbols that only Langdon can decipher, that takes us on a fascinating journey into the secrets of the Freemasons. Full of twists and turns, it's worth the read.

by Lynn

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"After scores of Da Vinci Code knockoffs, spinoffs, copies and caricatures, Brown has had the stroke of brilliance to set his breakneck new thriller not in some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard. Everyone off the bus, and welcome to a Washington, D.C., they never told you about on your school trip when you were a kid, a place steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. Returning hero Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture at the behest of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for his lecture, he finds, instead of an audience, Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. Langdon teases out a plethora of clues from the tattooed hand that point toward a secret portal through which an intrepid seeker will find the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. A villain known as Mal'akh, a steroid-swollen, fantastically tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Mal'akh has captured Peter and promises to kill him if Langdon doesn't agree to help find the portal. Joining Langdon in his search is Peter's younger sister, Kathleen, who has been conducting experiments in a secret museum. This is just the kickoff for a deadly chase that careens back and forth, across, above and below the nation's capital, darting from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical esoterica. Jealous thriller writers will despair, doubters and nay-sayers will be proved wrong, and readers will rejoice: Dan Brown has done it again." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Review A Day"
by Jeff Baker, The Oregonian,
"World-renowned symbologist and all-around cool guy Robert Langdon is summoned to an Imposing Architectural Landmark, where something Really Yucky has been left in a way only he can recognize. You know, as a clue. Langdon snaps into action, and it isn't long before he's uncovered more clues that lead to a Secret Society full of Famous Dead Guys. There's a Super-Duper Secret, and the fate of the universe is at stake, but thank goodness Langdon has help from a Foxy Brainiac, which he needs because he's up against a Major Freak. Langdon and the Foxy Brainiac race through more Imposing Architectural Landmarks, pausing only to lecture each other about symbols and whatnot, and try to win a Race Against Time against the Major Freak." (read the entire Oregonian review)

"Review"
by Janet Maslin, The New York Times,
"[Dan Brown is] bringing sexy back to a genre that had been left for dead....In the end it is Mr. Brown's sweet optimism, even more than Langdon's sleuthing and explicating, that may amaze his readers most."

"Review"
by Los Angeles Times,
"Brown's narrative moves rapidly, except for those clunky moments when people sound like encyclopedias....The Lost Symbol is more like the experience on any roller coaster — thrilling, entertaining and then it's over."

"Review"
by The Wall Street Journal,
"As a thriller, The Lost Symbol is exciting, although readers of The Da Vinci Code will notice that some of the same stock characters and creaky plot devices pop up."

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

The story of a secret agent who weaves plots, conspiracies, intrigues and attacks, and helps determine the historical and political fate of the Continent.

"Synopsis"
by jillo@powells.com,
Da Vinci Code symbologist, Robert Langdon, returns in Dan Brown's highly anticipated new thriller, The Lost Symbol.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

An ingenious, fast-paced historical thriller from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Last Templar

On a cold, bleak day in 1916, all hell breaks loose in a mining pit in the Ural Mountains. Overcome by a strange paranoia, the miners attack one another, savagely and ferociously. Minutes later, two men—a horrified scientist and Grigory Rasputin, trusted confidant of the tsar—hit a detonator, blowing up the mine to conceal all evidence of the carnage.

In the present day, FBI agent Sean Reillys search for Reed Corrigan, the CIA mindcontrol spook who brainwashed Reillys son, takes a backseat to a new, disturbing case. A Russian embassy attach&eacute; seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a fourth-floor window in Queens. The apartments owners, a retired physics teacher from Russia and his wife, have gone missing, and further investigation reveals that the former may not be who the FBI believe him to be.

Joined by Russian Federal Security Service agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva, Reillys investigation of the old mans identity will uncover a desperate search for a small, mysterious device, with consequences that reach back in time and which, in the wrong hands, could have a devastating impact on the modern world.

Packed with the twists, intrigue, and excitement that Khourys many fans have come to expect, Rasputins Shadow will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.